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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22371604">every morning, she'd climb up that sycamore tree</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sae_what/pseuds/sae_what'>sae_what</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste Has a Crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Canonical Character Death kinda?, Childhood Friends, Confident Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Feelings Realization, Flustered Adrien Agreste, Friends to Lovers, Gabriel Agreste's A+ Parenting, Grief/Mourning, He Just Doesn't Know It Yet, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, Pining, adrien thinks he acts nervous around marinette because she's intimidating, adrienette - Freeform, but i think we all know the truth here, flipped au, they'll become good friends before they romance so-</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:08:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,657</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22371604</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sae_what/pseuds/sae_what</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The moment Marinette laid eyes on Adrien Agreste, she knew she had flipped. Here’s to her wishful thinking that he’d eventually flip too. </p><p>Alternatively: Adrien’s only reaction to Marinette’s intensity is to be intensely nervous and intimidated.</p><p>Based on the book/film "Flipped."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>111</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>214</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. nosebleed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! This fic is *loosely* based off of a book/movie called Flipped. I hope you enjoy and thank you so much for stopping by!</p><p>Edit: For some of you haven’t read/watched Flipped, it takes place in a small suburban town the 50s/60s. In this fic, the characters live in the larger suburbs in the Paris area. Just to set the scenery and setting for you.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marinette is a little too intimidating for Adrien to handle.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: Mention of blood, but not too graphic. Nose bleeds will be a thing on this chapter and the next one.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <strong>Age: 8 years old.</strong>
</p><hr/><p>The moment she laid eyes on Adrien Agreste, she knew that she had flipped. Marinette vowed to herself that this was the year she would get his attention. This year would be the year that Adrien would finally notice her. </p><p>Because she was in love with him. It was a strong way of explaining her sentiments, but how else could she understand her feelings towards him? </p><p>And where could she even begin with the reasons why she was in love with him? </p><p>Maybe it was the way he repressed his laughter when someone in class made a joke, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear how amused his was, even though Marinette was dying to hear a louder, more genuine booming laugh escape his lips. </p><p>Or maybe the way he spoke softly to answer the question without raising his hand, and she’d have to lean in closer to hear what he had to say. Each year, the teacher would usually click their tongue, addressing him sternly, “Speak up, that was the right answer.” And he’d bashfully say it louder, but still not enough for the class to hear. </p><p>What interested Marinette was how, even though he was shy to laugh or to speak, he wasn’t shy to sleep in class. </p><p>“Adrien Agreste,” the teacher called flatly. </p><p>The seat in front of Marinette was occupied by none other than Adrien himself. She eyed the arched back of the young blond, his head rested upon his arms that folded on his desk. Marinette’s lips curled into a grin, deciding to take his sleepy state as an opportunity. </p><p>“Adrien Agreste?” the teacher repeated. </p><p>Marinette stood from her chair, leaning forward to close in on the nape of Adrien’s neck. Smell of peppermint. </p><p>Electricity ran from the fibers of her heart strings, all the way up to the hairs of her neck. </p><p>He smelled like heaven.</p><p>And with the thought of his wondrous smell, Marinette blew a puff of air behind his ear. </p><p>Terrified, Adrien shot his head up from the desk, the back of his head banging the bridge of Marinette’s nose. </p><p>Both yelped in unison, as Marinette blushed furiously, blood streaming down her nostrils. She pointed at the boy who stared at her wide-eyed, rubbing his hand on the back of his head from the impact. “Adrien is right here!” </p><p>The teacher wore a horrified expression. “My goodness, you’re going to bleed out! Go to the nurse’s office!” She scrolled her eyes through the list of names on her clipboard. “And you are...” </p><p>“Marinette Agreste,” she blurted before immediately smacking her mouth. “Shit—I mean, shoot. It’s Dupain-Cheng. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” </p><p>The class let out a collective uncomfortable laughter. She felt Adrien’s gaze rest on her, but she wouldn’t dare look. Her cheeks became hotter. She pinched the bridge of her nose and lifted her head so the blood wouldn’t drip any further off her chin. She ran out the classroom, grabbing a handful of tissues on her way out and shoving them up her nose. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Can you believe her?” Chloe cackled. “First day of school, and that girl already made a bad impression. She’s so pitiful that it makes me want to gag!” </p><p>Admittedly, Adrien had never really noticed Marinette. He knew they were classmates and was mostly familiar with her; they’ve been classmates for as long as he could remember. But she’d always blend in the background, along with everyone else. </p><p>Honestly, Adrien couldn’t bring himself to talk to his other classmates, really. He definitely wouldn’t say that he felt above everyone else in his class to try to be friends with them, which might be a mentality that Chloe may have, but he could definitely second the fact that he was in his own little world; drifting off and drowning out the words of the teacher during class to the point where he didn’t even know he fell asleep. </p><p>He hoped he wouldn’t catch himself doing this too often though. He couldn’t imagine what his father would think if his teacher reported to his parents that he slept in class. Just thinking about how he would react sent chills down Adrien’s spine. </p><p>As he walked absentmindedly. Chloe seemed to bring one foot in front of the other with purpose, as if to show off her grace and confidence. A large influence by her mother, most likely. She and her mother had just returned from New York after being there for a year or so. Despite Chloe being his closest friend, she was also his only friend, yet he had immediately grown used to Chloe’s absence when she left. Now that she was back, and now that she had transferred to the same school as him, Adrien was obligated to take her to these walks to her father’s hotel. </p><p>“What do you think of her, Adrikins? Isn’t she annoying to you?” Chloe whipped her ponytail behind her shoulder. </p><p>Adrien averted his gaze, replying awkwardly. “Uh... I don’t think much of her?” </p><p>Chloe smirked. “You better not. Did you see her nose bleed like that? She obviously has cooties.” </p><p>“Cooties?” </p><p>“Yeah. Pretty sure I’m the only girl in that classroom who doesn’t have any of the cooties. Dupain-Cheng probably spread it around already.” She then added, “You better not go near her. Otherwise, you’ll catch it.” </p><p>Adrien wrinkled his nose. “You can’t seriously think I’ll believe something like cooties. We’re not in pre-school.” </p><p>She stuck out her bottom lip, coating her words with a puppy-sad tone of voice. “You’re so mean, Adrikins. How could you not believe me, your best friend?” </p><p>Luckily, before Adrien could respond, they arrived at the hotel. </p><p>“You wanna come visit my place?” Chloe grinned with excitement. “I want to show you my walk-in closet that Daddy fixed up for me when I moved back in!” </p><p>He held up his two hands. “Uh, I’m okay. I think my mom is going to wonder where I am.” </p><p>Chloe shrugged. As she waved goodbye, her butler greeted her in front of the hotel before she walked in. They exchanged a smile. Chloe’s smile was genuine too. Adrien’s gaze softened. Even though Chloe’s parents were busy, at least Chloe had her butler. He almost seemed like a second father to her. </p><p>Adrien shoved his hands in his pocket as he walked to his mansion. He enjoyed these quiet walks by himself. He admired the sun shyly dipping behind the Parisian buildings and the trees. He’d hear the cars rush by and the chorus of late afternoon bird chirps, rather than Chloe’s clunky shoes that her mom got her from New York or her “Present of the Week from Daddy.” </p><p>On his way to his house though, he’d come across a hill with one sycamore tree stretched high and tall, its branches reaching highest clouds. The simple existence of the tree would make Adrien feel at peace. He wished he could walk up the hill to get a closer look and feel its bark underneath his fingertips. But someone would always claim the space first before he ever could. </p><p>Marinette. Today, yet again, she sat beside the trunk of the tree, her knees up to her chest as she scribbled something onto her notebook. Every day after school, Adrien would always catch a glimpse of her. </p><p>But today was different. This was his first time noticing her not as another girl resting beside the wondrous tree, but as someone a little more than just that. </p><p>Marinette’s current demeanor was different than how he had witnessed her earlier today, bleeding nose, red-flushed cheeks, a literal mess. No, he didn’t see that. Sure, she still had tissues shoved up her nostrils, and sure, she scribbled and erased furiously on her notebook <em>like</em> a literal mess, but... there was a hint of gentleness in her presence. Adrien could take a photo of this moment right now; Marinette's silky bangs drifted along with the tree's leaves.</p><p>It was beautiful.</p><p>He felt his chest tighten, and the unfamiliar feeling was too much for him to bear. He shook his head vigorously to shake off his unwanted thoughts, quickening his pace before Marinette would ever notice him. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading, y'all. Flipped was my favorite book when I was younger, so I'm having a lot of fun writing this fanfic &lt;3</p><p>Much love and thank you again x</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. kickball</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marinette decides it's payback.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <strong>Age: 9 years old.</strong>
</p><hr/><p>Within the last year, Marinette made a new enemy: Chloe Bourgeois, the mayor’s daughter and richest girl who ever breathed and stepped foot in their school.</p><p>Adrien had no idea where the rivalry even came from. He guessed it started around the time when Marinette announced that she was wed to Adrien and changed her last name as Agreste. Just thinking about that incident, despite it being a year ago, made Adrien want to hide himself from the embarrassment.</p><p>Chloe most likely picked on her though, because of the nose-bleeding incident. Ever since that happened, Chloe just loved calling her “Bloody Mari,” and picking on her whenever she had the chance. Adrien would never get involved though. He never understood the fights his classmates would always get themselves into.</p><p>He could wish that he had the courage to speak up for Marinette and tell Chloe to stop, but he knew that Marinette didn’t need any defending; she could fight for herself.</p><p>And today, she would prove that with a game of kickball.</p><p>Him and his classmates were aligned in the gymnasium. On his left side was Marinette, and the other, Chloe. He shouldn’t have been sandwiched between the two of them; he could feel the tension from the indiscreet glares they exchanged.</p><p>“Listen up, everyone!” the gym teacher called. “The rules of kickball are simple. The first team will be scattered across the field while having one pitcher. The other team will kick the ball and run to each of the plates.”</p><p>One of their classmates Max lifted his glasses to the bridge of his nose. “It’s precisely the game of baseball, except kicking instead of using a baseball bat. Baseball is very popular in America, where—"</p><p>Kim nudged Max playfully. “Okay, nerd, we don’t need another one of your trivia facts.”</p><p>The gym teacher cleared her throat. “Right, I will assign each of you randomly to groups of two. Either you will be on the Red Team or the Blue Team.”</p><p>Pointing at each of the students at random, she assigned them as either Blue or Red.</p><p>The hair behind Adrien’s neck rose as Marinette whispered to herself, “Please let me be in his team, please let me be in his team, please let me be—"</p><p>“Adrien. Blue team. Come join the rest of the players by the line,” the teacher instructed.</p><p>As Adrien walked towards his team, he could still hear Marinette’s whispers, getting louder and louder each time. “Blue, blue, blue, blue blue bluebLUEBLUEBLUE—”</p><p>“Marinette. Red.”</p><p>“Wait—"</p><p>“Chloe. Blue.”</p><p>“WAIT.” Marinette extended her arm to the gym teacher before she proceeded. “Can’t I switch with Chloe at least?”</p><p>“The teams are final, Marinette,” the teacher said, folding her arms across her chest.</p><p>Marinette, grumbling under her breath, stomped her way out into the field. Chloe shot her a vicious glare, sticking her tongue out victoriously. Marinette returned the offense with a mocking expression, crinkling her nose at her. This game of kickball was more than just a game: this was war. And the gymnasium was the battlefield.</p><p>As the game progressed, Adrien’s heart raced as he walked closer to the home plate. When it was finally his turn, he whispered to himself, “I’ll be okay, I’ll be okay…” as he watched the pitcher Alix swinging the ball at his direction.</p><p>Closing his eyes tightly, he kicked the ball. Of course he missed.</p><p>“Adrien! Keep your eyes open!”</p><p>He met eyes with Marinette, who yelled out her advice from across the gym. Adrien felt the tips of his ears turn hot, immediately averting his gaze from her. Nonetheless, she had given him a good tip.</p><p>On his second try, he kept his eyes on the ball, widening them and making sure not to blink. And with that, he swung his foot, the ball skidding across the gymnasium.</p><p>He picked up the balls of his feet, eyes targeting the next plate as he ran quicker. He saw Marinette in the corner of his vision, sprinting to the ball and gripping onto it tightly. Adrien gulped. She had been on the other side of the gym. How on earth did she get here so fast?</p><p>“Marinette! Over here!” He could hear his classmates call as he ran closer and closer to the first plate. Kim sprinted to the plate, raising his hands as he yelled at Marinette to pass the ball.</p><p>Marinette froze, hugging the ball tightly. He couldn’t tell if she was hesitant and nervous, or if she was purposefully ignoring her classmates’ calls.</p><p>Why would he even question that? Marinette was never hesitant nor nervous. So of course it was the latter.</p><p>She hurled the ball on the other side of the gym.</p><p>“What the hell, Marinette!” their classmates yelled in frustration. As Adrien finally arrived at the first base, he cupped his hands to his knees, breathing heavily.</p><p>The gym teacher called, “Dupain-Cheng! Your aim was at the complete opposite direction!”</p><p>“I know,” Marinette stared at the teacher blankly, as though she had no idea what she did wrong.</p><p>Her hair was tied up in a bun, and yet she still managed to have pieces of hair sticking up from her head. Bangs pressed against her forehead, she wiped her clammy hands onto her gym shorts. Adrien noticed how her rundown sneakers, gym shorts, and messy hair clashed with her small, fragile appearance. Her petite figure was misleading. She wasn’t to be messed with.</p><p>Adrien looked away before Marinette would notice him looking right at her. But her focus was on someone else: Chloe.</p><p>Marinette reassured the teacher, “Don’t worry. I’ll make up for the lost points on the next one.”</p><p>“Is that a threat, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” Chloe grimaced as she approached the home plate.</p><p>Alix impatiently called, “Hey, enough of the chit-chat, okay? Just move along!”</p><p>Chloe composed herself, dusting off her customized bright yellow gym shorts, probably another one of her father’s purchases. Tightening her ponytail, she said, “Ready when you are.”</p><p>Right before she kicked the ball, Marinette already ran into position to get closer to the ball. Realizing this too late, Chloe kicked, just in time for Marinette to catch it.</p><p>Her classmates cheered, “Good job, Marinette!” applauding her for the out-ball.</p><p>But Marinette wasn’t finished. This was her chance at payback. She grinned slyly. “Gotcha, Chloe Bourgeois. Game over!”</p><p>She whipped the ball right at Chloe’s nose, the impact being so hard that Chloe fell backwards and thudded on the floor.</p><p>“Haha! Yes! I won!” Marinette punched the air victoriously.</p><p>Adrien watched everything that happened from here with his jaw dropped to the ground. He felt lightheaded and overwhelmed just watching everything that was happening: Marinette was sent to the principal’s office by the gym teacher, Chloe was crying, and now her nose was bleeding, Marinette was pointing and laughing, “Who’s Bloody Mary now?” The gym teacher was telling her to hush as she ordered Marinette out of the gymnasium and reassured Chloe that she’d be taken to the nurse’s office.</p><p>Marinette caught Adrien’s glimpse for the last time. He still stared at her wide-eyed, mouth ajar. She gave him a small smile before exiting the gymnasium and was nudged away into the principle's office.</p><p>Adrien gulped down a hard lump on his throat.</p><p>This girl… She was <em>crazy</em>.</p><p>It was right then and there that Adrien realized that Marinette Dupain-Cheng terrified the living hell out of him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love the dodgeball AU, I had to write it for this one. Oops.</p><p>Thank you for reading :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. the sum of its parts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marinette discovers something miraculous.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <strong>Age: 10 years old</strong>
</p><hr/><p>Marinette loved watching her father bake. She especially loved it when the sweet aroma of baked goods would be the first thing she’d smell when she woke up in the morning. It was one of the great perks of being the daughter of a baker.</p><p>“And you just massage the dough,” Tom continued his baking lessons to his daughter. Today, her dad was making strawberry cream cheese Danish. Lately, he had been insistent with Marinette getting these baking lessons from him. He said that someday, when Marinette grew older, she’d have to have the skills to take care of the bakery and help out him and her mom. Not that Marinette minded; she loved watching her father bake and knowing that her parents worked so hard to maintain it, she wanted to help them out.</p><p>She reached for the rolling pin as she stood on the tip of her toes. Rolling pin on one hand, she slapped it with her other palm. “Let’s roll some dough, baby!”</p><p>Marinette rocked the rolling pin back and forth as she flattened the slab of dough. Tom smiled and was about to speak before he stopped himself. </p><p>The girl caught a glimpse of his hesitation. She squinted at her dad with suspicion. “What?”</p><p>“How’s that boy in your class, Adrien?”</p><p>Marinette failed to conceal her blush. “What about him?”</p><p>“Well, you talk about him a lot, but…” he wiped his hands with a towel. “What is it that you like about him so much?”</p><p>She already knew the answer. “His eyes! Or maybe… maybe his smile.”</p><p>Tom raised his brow. “That’s all? There has to be more to him than that, right?”</p><p>Marinette shifted. “Well, what do you mean?”</p><p>He simply gave her daughter a small smile. “Honey, any boy can have nice eyes or a nice smile, but it’s not easy finding a boy who’s far beyond just that. Look beyond just those things. Look at what’s really inside.”</p><p>“I still don’t know what you mean,” she said with a frown. </p><p>Her father paused before eyeing the mess of ingredients on the kitchen counter. “The Danish that we’re making… It’s made of and dough and cream cheese and—"</p><p>“Don’t forget the strawberries!”</p><p>“And of course, the strawberries. These are all parts of the Danish, but the Danish is more than just the sum of its parts. Just like… how a lake is the water and the lily pads and the swan doves. And the sun illuminating through the trees and onto the shrubs. But then, you put all those parts together, and you’ve got something miraculous.”</p><p>“Danishes are miraculous?” Marinette laughed a little, obviously still not processing her father’s point.</p><p>Tom went along with it anyway. “Sure, of course they are, especially when they’re made from the greatest baker in Paris!” He grinned proudly as he embraced her with a kiss above her head, and Marinette couldn’t help but laugh even more.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Adrien would always insist on bringing his mother’s meals upstairs to her room. Always. The cooks understood. In fact, they appreciated that they had one less chore to worry about. Adrien didn’t understand why his father always made them work to death anyway. They were only three in the family, so it’s not like they were serving a whole country.</p><p>Gripping tightly onto the tray as he made his way up the stairs, Adrien glanced up at the huge faded framed picture that hung on the stairwell. Despite the condition it was in, it still captured the luminescence of his family. In the picture, his father had settled with a small simple smile, not forced. Adrien’s mother had her hand resting on his shoulder as he grinned the same smile as his mother. Though his could never compare to hers.</p><p>But now, he hardly saw that same smile. It was different.</p><p>Adrien opened his mother’s door. She lay in bed, hiding her face with her blanket.</p><p>“Maman, I have your breakfast.”</p><p>Emilie shifted in her bed as she revealed her delicate face. “Adrien, honey, you don’t have to keep bringing food here. You’re going to be late for school.”</p><p>“I don’t mind,” he said, settling her tray on the nightstand. </p><p>His mother slowly sat up from her bed. As she lifted her tray onto her lap, her hands trembled slightly. Adrien redirected his gaze on the floor, not being able to take in the fact that his mother was growing weaker and weaker everyday. </p><p>Before he could ask about her sleep, his mom spoke. “You have to promise me you’ll do well in school, young man. And no sleeping in school.”</p><p>Adrien pursed his lip, widening his eyes. “How’d you know about that?”</p><p>“I’m your mother, Adrien. I know everything. And I figure that because you’re sleeping in class, you haven’t been having good night sleep, am I right?” She raised her eyebrow, the way any mother would when suspecting their child picking up on an unhealthy habit.</p><p>“Well, I, uh…” Adrien searched for the words in his mind. “I’ve been thinking a lot about some stuff. I dunno… I just worry…”</p><p>Emilie shook his head. She knew exactly what Adrien was trying to say. He could see it right in her eyes. She knew he was worried about her. Adrien was afraid, and she saw that. Words weren’t needed to be said. </p><p>Adrien embraced his mother once she held her arm out in front of her. Placing a kiss on his forehead, his mother mumbled with a tired voice, “Get ready to go to school, honey. Mommy will be fine here. Promise.” </p><p>He wanted to trust her word for it. So, after taking one last glimpse and waving goodbye, she waved back, and he closed the door.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Marinette whipped open the bakery door. “Papa! I understand what you mean by the sum of its parts now!”</p><p>Tom lifted his gaze from the newspaper. Sabine halted her cleaning as she turned to Marinette with wide eyes.</p><p>“Marinette, dear, keep a quiet voice, can you?” Sabine twitched a forced smile.</p><p>“Aha… Sorry, maman,” Marinette chuckled softly as she grabbed a seat beside her father.</p><p>“How was school?” Her mother asked. </p><p>Marinette picked on the food her mother prepared. “Same as usual. Chloe’s been bugging me again, but that’s old news.”</p><p>Tom rested the newspaper down on the table. “How bad is it?”</p><p>Marinette shrugged. “Not so bad. It could be worse. But at least I can retaliate.”</p><p>Tom and Sabine exchanged worried looks. Sabine decided to speak. “Marinette, if this girl is bothering you, maybe this is something we should be involved in too.”</p><p>“Maman, believe me. I can handle people like her. She just needs someone to put her in her place, that’s all.” Marinette eyed her parents with an unquestionable gaze, then shrugged as she added, “And I guess the only person confident to do that is me.” </p><p>She gave them a grin to reassure them of this fact, but her parents still furrowed their brows with concern. </p><p>As Marinette gulped down the last bite of her meal, Tom cleared his throat. “So sweetheart, what were you going to say about the sum of its parts?”</p><p>Marinette practically glowed, as if she was waiting for one of them to bring it up. She shuffled through her bookbag, bringing out her sketchbook and flipping to the right page. Finally, she found what she was looking for.</p><p>“This!” She held it in front of her dad’s face.</p><p>Tom crossed his eyes before he squinted to get a better view. “That’s a sketch of…”</p><p>“The view from the top of the sycamore tree,” Marinette finished. “I finally had it in me to go all the way at the top today!”</p><p>Marinette loved that tree. She admired its beauty, but she never had the courage to climb it. It had never occurred to her that it was because she was afraid of heights. After talking to her dad about the sum of its parts, she had finally just how afraid had been.</p><p>But Marinette wasn’t the kind of girl to let fear get the best of her. She brushed that right passed her, and after school, on a whim, she climbed up that tree like there was no tomorrow. She was probably meters high, but she didn’t look down. Instead she looked right in front of her.</p><p>Thank goodness she did. She had discovered the most incredible scene she had ever witnessed. The sunset that painted the sky pink, the trees rustling as their green slowly turned to yellows and reds, the colors of the rooftops, the children playing beyond the park. </p><p>She saw the parts of everything, and it summed up her town.</p><p>It was miraculous.</p><p>“I’m proud of you, Marinette!” Sabine smiled. “And you drew such an amazing sketch!”</p><p>“Thanks, Maman!” She grinned as her father embraced her in a tight squeeze. </p><p>“I’m glad you’re starting to understand, sweetheart,” Tom inputted. “You’ll see so much more too.”</p><p>“Oh, I don’t think so,” Marinette’s tone became serious. “Nothing can beat this view I saw today. I’ll love it and cherish it forever.”</p><p>That night, she carefully ripped her sketch from her notebook and taped it on her wall. It would be the first thing she’d see every morning, and the last thing she’d look at every night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, I finally watched the Flipped movie. Before I did, I’ve only read the book, and that was when I was, like… 11 years old… But anyways, it’s as cute as I remembered! π_ π</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. one last view</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marinette is torn. Adrien, just as much.</p><p>This one’s a sad one. Protect these kids.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <strong>Age: 11 years old</strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>This year, the school decided that the safest way for the children to get to school was to have more bus stops around the area. The one bus stop that Adrien had to hop into just so happened to be the bus stop by the sycamore tree. </p><p>He wouldn’t have minded having the bus stop next to the tree, if only Marinette hadn’t disturbed the quiet and peaceful morning with announcements of how far the school bus was from them. </p><p>Adrien Agreste was definitely not a morning person. Mornings were already dreadful enough, and it didn’t help that his sleep schedule was constantly thrown off. Yet again, Adrien would probably need to take another nap during his French history class. </p><p>“4 blocks away!” Marinette called from atop the sycamore tree.</p><p>His eye began to twitch, just a bit. Adrien took a breath in. </p><p>“3 blocks away!”</p><p>He took a breath out. <em>Don’t bother with it, Adrien. Let her be. </em></p><p>“2 blocks away—!"</p><p>Adrien gave in. He cupped his hands around his mouth, enough for the girl to hear him from the treetop. “Hey, Marinette, would you mind - “</p><p>Before he could continue, an unfamiliar voice greeted him. </p><p>“Hey, dude, this whole bus stop thing is kinda weird, isn’t it?” </p><p>Turning to the dark-skinned boy with a red cap and glasses, Adrien was taken aback when he held out his hand in front of him. </p><p>“I’m Nino, by the way.”</p><p>He took Nino’s hand for a handshake. “Adrien.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you, dude,” Nino smiled. “I never had to take the bus. I’d always ride my bike to school, even in the winter. Disappointing that I won’t get to have my bike rides to school anymore.”</p><p>“1 block away!”</p><p>Adrien grumbled under his breath. </p><p>Nino glanced above the tree. “Well, I’m guessing we’re going to have her report to us on how far the bus is every morning, huh?”</p><p>“I guess so—"</p><p>“Hey, Adrien!”</p><p>Adrien jumped as he felt a warm hand upon his shoulder. </p><p>“M-Marinette!” How did she even get down from the tree so fast? She was so high up... Adrien swore that this girl was not human. </p><p>“Isn’t the tree gorgeous?” Marinette exclaimed with excitement, admiration still apparent in her eyes. She leaned in closer to Adrien. “You should climb up there with me. The view from up there is just breathtaking!”</p><p>Cold sweat ran down Adrien’s back. Why was she getting so damn close to him? The lack of physical space was what took his breath away - specifically, it was making him suffocate. </p><p>Adrien stepped back. He had to find words to say no to climbing that tree. No way would he climb that high, and no way would he climb up there with Marinette. </p><p>“Uh, I would like to, but it’s, um, actuallyquiteanuglytree.”</p><p>“Quiet an ugly tree?” Marinette repeated slowly, furrowing her brows. </p><p>Adrien internally screamed once he realized what he had said.</p><p>
  <em>Real smooth, Agreste. </em>
</p><p>If Marinette was offended by the comment, she did a good job of hiding it. She lifted her chin as she made her way to board the arriving bus. </p><p>“I feel sorry for you. I feel like you need to get your eyes checked. Maybe then you’d appreciate its true beauty.”</p><p>Adrien narrowed her eyes at the girl. He shouldn’t be surprised by what she said; Marinette always had that spunk her. But still, a rude comment like that wasn’t going to be brushed aside. Adrien was about to retort back before Nino lightly nudged him. </p><p>“C’mon, dude, what’re you waiting for? Let’s get on the bus.”</p><p>This was Nino’s second time of stopping him from saying something back at Marinette. Maybe for the better. Letting out a silent huff, Adrien boarded the bus with his new friend. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Chloe slapped the newspaper onto Marinette’s desk. “Read it and weep, Dupain-Cheng.”</p><p>“What, are you too illiterate to read that for yourself, or do you need your ‘Daddy’ to do that for you too?” Marinette rolled her eyes, using air quotes as she spat out the word “Daddy.”</p><p>“We’ll see if you’ll be making smart comments like that when Daddy gets rid of this hideous tree!” Chloe pointed at the headline.</p><p>Snatching the paper away from Chloe, Marinette scanned the headline repeatedly. </p><p>“No... this can’t be right.” Marinette flipped over to the other pages of the paper, but there was no point in that; she wouldn’t find anything that would tell her the headline was just some poorly executed joke. </p><p>“Why would he cut down the tree?” Marinette felt her eyes sting. But there was no way in hell she’d cry in front of Chloe Bourgeois. </p><p>“They’re revamping that entire area and building new houses around it,” Chloe spoke haughtily, as though knowing that information would bump up her IQ. “Guess your hideous tree will be gone for good, Dupain-Cheng.”</p><p>Marinette couldn’t take this. She was well aware that Chloe Bourgeois was evil to the core, but this took the cake. Chloe didn’t understand just how much that tree meant to her, none of her classmates did. </p><p>She wasn’t going to allow Chloe to get the last words this time. Not now, not ever. Marinette stood up from her chair, blood boiling as Chloe simply gave her a snarky grin. </p><p>“You may be the richest girl in Paris, but your attitude is poor to the dirt.” Marinette shoved the newspaper back at Chloe, the slight impact making the latter step back a bit. “I won’t let them cut that tree down. And I won’t let you speak about my tree like that. Now take the newspaper with you and get out of my sight.”</p><p>Chloe’s eyes narrowed, searching for words to retort back to the other girl. Instead, she decided against it, pointing her nose away from Marinette with a scoff. Because she knew that, with the tree getting cut down, she had won the fight anyway.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>From then on, Marinette would have the attention of the whole city for days.</p><p>Every morning, she’d climb up that sycamore tree. Every morning, she’d retort against the construction workers, who were only doing their jobs. She’d protest against them, desperately trying to convince them to leave her tree alone.</p><p>And just when Adrien thought his mornings couldn’t get any less peaceful. </p><p>Despite his slight annoyance, he did feel bad for Marinette, much to his dismay. But he didn’t understand what made her like the tree this much. </p><p>“Miss, you have to come down! You’re up too high!” one of the construction men rubbed the bridge of his nose.</p><p>“Go cut down another tree!” Marinette cried from above, wrapping her arms around the trunk. “Why this one?!”</p><p>The construction workers would get a call from Mayor Bourgeois himself. One of them would sigh and say, “Tomorrow. We’ll try again tomorrow. The girl’s gotta budge sometime, right?”</p><p>Every morning would be like this. The construction workers would be on the verge of quitting. And Marinette continued to persist. </p><p>People in town thought Marinette was one of two things: inspiring or crazy.</p><p>Adrien’s mother thought the former. She absolutely loved Marinette’s rigor. He hadn’t seen his mother light up this way in a while.</p><p>Emilie held up the newspaper up to Adrien’s nose for her son to see. “Honey! This girl is a wonder!” She cracked a smile. </p><p>Adrien let out a sigh of relief. “You seem pretty good today.”</p><p>“You have to take the bad days to have some of the good days, my dear. Things are looking up! Told ya so!” His mother pinched his cheeks.</p><p>Adrien yelped before he let out a light giggle. “Okay, okay, Maman! That’s enough!”</p><p>Emilie hid her face into the newspaper. “Adrien, you should find yourself a partner already.”</p><p>Adrien scrunched his nose. “Why that all of the sudden?”</p><p>She hummed an “I dunno” as she shrugged. “Was just reading about this Marinette Dupain-Cheng girl. I think a girl like that would suit you. Unshakable… daring… shimmering… Iridescent.”</p><p>Adrien cocked his head. “Iri—<em>what</em>?”</p><p>Emilie lightly tapped the tip of Adrien’s nose. “You’ll understand when you find the right person.”</p><p>“Adrien.” A familiar deep-toned voice cut through the air. By instinct, Adrien straightened his spine. </p><p>“How about you go to bed now?” his father addressed him with a cold tone.</p><p>“Uh, yes, father… How was work?” Adrien asked softly. </p><p>“Busy, as usual,” Gabriel responded briefly. “You still haven’t straightened out your sleep schedule, have you, son?”</p><p>Adrien bit his bottom lip nervously as he shook his head. His father simply sighed with disappointment.</p><p>“Uh, yeah, I’ll sleep early tonight. Don’t worry, father,” Adrien reassured as he walked out of his parent’s bedroom.</p><p>That was the first and last night for a long time that Adrien would get proper sleep. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Almost immediately, Adrien’s entire life turned upside down. His mother was gone the next morning. He’d insist from his father where she went, but he was only given silence.</p><p>She was just there, just yesterday she was smiling. And now she was gone.</p><p>It was too much to bear for him. That morning, he wanted to stay home, but he couldn’t. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his mother by ditching school, wherever she was.</p><p>Being at the bus stop felt suffocating. The firefighters and police cars gathered around the tree. But this time, the mayor of Paris followed. Marinette continued to climb up the tree as as a protest, but with the mayor’s presence, Marinette became desperate, now begging rather than confidently retorting for them to leave her tree alone. Her desperation only surfaced because she knew this time, with the mayor here, her battle would be over, and she’d finally lose.</p><p>“Young lady, this entire city has had enough of your insolence,” the mayor scolded, holding a megaphone up to his lips. His calls were muffled, but still intimidating enough for Marinette to know that she and her tree were in deep trouble. “Get down from the tree at once.”</p><p>“No. You can’t cut this tree down!” Her voice began to crack. “Adrien! Everyone! Come up here, please! They won’t cut it down if we’re all up here.”</p><p>At that moment, Adrien wondered what it would be like to climb up that tree. How refreshing it would feel up there, the soft breeze blowing on his face, the wind feeling so freeing, and for just a moment, he wouldn’t feel like he was suffocating.</p><p>He began to understand, for just a moment, Marinette’s determination, and just how much she loved that tree.</p><p>Her eyes met his. “Please…”</p><p>But he couldn’t climb the tree. How could he possibly? <em>Marinette</em> was up there. And her being up there with him would only suffocate him even more. </p><p>Because she was crying too.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Marinette watched as Adrien and the rest of her classmates boarded the bus. Adrien gave her one last look, and she swore he was crying with her. But probably not. Her eyes were playing with her. She was only making herself believe that, for once, Adrien Agreste supported her.</p><p>Her arms ached as they wrapped around the trunk of the tree, fingers feeling cold and numb. She shivered as the air grew colder, the clouds, grayer. How long had she been up here?</p><p>The policemen making a phone call. </p><p>Her father, her mother. </p><p>The firemen, urging her parents get their daughter down.</p><p>“Marinette.”</p><p>Her father was up the ladder, holding his hand out for her to come down.</p><p>“Papa, please. You can’t let them,” she pleaded, her voice weak. “Look at the view. You can see everything from up here. You understand, don’t you?”</p><p>Tom simply gave her a sad smile. “I know, honey, but… It’s time to let go. You have to let go, Marinette.”</p><p>She shook her head, shutting her eyes tightly to prevent any more tears from flowing.</p><p>Yet her father spoke calmly, his hand still reaching out to her. “C’mon, let’s go down now.”</p><p>Her vision blurred as she viewed the city one last time. Finally, she wiped her tears. She took her father’s hand.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. sepia photograph</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wang Fu, who is new in town, receives a visit from Adrien, then later, from Marinette.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <strong>Age: 11 years old</strong>
</p><hr/><p>The days had blurred together. Months passed since the passing of Adrien’s mother, and his home had become dismal and silent since. His father would rarely be home, overworking himself to the bone, either because of the overwhelming workload or to avoid thinking too much about the absence of his wife. It was most likely both.<br/> <br/>Chloe had been absent from his life too. Adrien had later found out that Chloe had left for New York with her mother last minute, just in time after he discovered his mom’s passing.<br/> <br/>And Marinette... He couldn’t possibly tell what was going on with her. Since the tree had been cut down, Marinette had apparently been riding her bike to school. Adrien guessed that she couldn’t stand seeing the tree stump every morning; it was a blatant reminder that she had lost that was special to her.</p><p>He wouldn’t necessarily say he was relieved by her absence, but it had been quieter in the mornings for sure. Feelings of guilt would wash over him sometimes, recalling the look on her face when he boarded on that bus. </p><p>But why should he feel guilty? Perhaps he wasn’t feeling sorry for Marinette at all; maybe he felt regret of what he did—or what he didn’t do. Climbing up that tree may have been a chance to free himself of any sort of remorse he had felt that day, maybe he would’ve been happy, even if just a little bit. Climbing it would’ve been something different, after all. </p><p>Maybe something within him would’ve changed. Yet, Adrien couldn’t place a finger on how or why climbing up that tree would make him feel better.</p><p>But the mere fact that it was Marinette’s tree... Why would that steer him away so bad? What was Marinette to him anyway? Was he really afraid of her, annoyed with her, or was it something else?<br/> <br/>For now, none of that really mattered. Well, for the time being, anyway. At least he had Nino’s support through the days when Adrien had been grieving. Although Nino couldn’t possibly grasp what Adrien was going through, he had always been there for him, and that was enough. Nino would constantly try his best to cheer him up during days when he’d catch him fall into depression, and he almost always never failed at being an amazing friend.<br/> <br/>Winter days had finally dawned upon them, but that never stopped Nino and Adrien from spending time together after school.<br/> <br/>Today in particular, Nino was feeling a little daring.<br/> <br/>“Let’s ding-dong ditch,” his friend clenched his gloved fist with determination.<br/> <br/>“Ding-dong… what?” Adrien tilted his head to the side as he shrouded his nose underneath his scarf. As the boys strolled around town, the snow crunching beneath their feet. The afternoon sunset greeted them with a light pink sky.<br/> <br/>“Y’know, ring someone’s doorbell and run. As a prank.”<br/> <br/>Adrien perked his head up from the warmth of his scarf, lifting a corner of his lips. “Wow, Nino, never knew you had it in you to prank someone.”<br/> <br/>“Dude, what can I say. I’m a man full of surprises.”<br/> <br/>The two boys snickered as Nino pointed at the first house with excitement. “That one looks promising.”<br/> <br/>Adrien nodded, the two single-mindedly ran up the porch. Once Nino pressed the doorbell, he immediately sprinted behind a tree.<br/> <br/>Adrien’s reaction time, on the other hand, did not measure up to Nino’s. Instead, he stood in front of the door as he was greeted by a man, no younger than his eighties.<br/> <br/>“What can I do for you, young man?” he asked.<br/> <br/>Adrien panicked, giving the man an awkward grin. “Uh, the real question is... what can <em>I</em> do for <em>you</em>?” Finger guns too, to add a nice touch. Once after, he heard Nino slap his forehead followed by an unimpressed groan.<br/> <br/>The old man blinked. “Well, I don’t believe there is much you can do for me. But you seem tense. Would you be willing to have a warm cup of tea?”<br/> <br/>“Uh…” Adrien glanced over at Nino, who shook his head, eyes widened and teeth gritted.<br/> <br/>He didn’t know how his father would feel about him being invited over by a stranger. In fact, he had never seen this man at all. He was usually familiar with most of the residents around town, so this man must’ve moved in recently.<br/> <br/>Still, Adrien was going to trust his judgement; this man seemed nice. And possibly lonely as well. That made the two of them. And so, he made up his mind.<br/> <br/>“Yeah, sure, I’d love that.” Adrien gave his friend one nod to gesture that he’d be back in a jiffy. Nino returned a defeated shrug.<br/> <br/>Adrien was immediately greeted by the warmth of the elder’s living room, light green wallpaper complementing the wooden floors. There, he viewed a set of old-fashioned couches patterned with soft-colored flowers, a wide bookshelf in the corner of the room, a simple wooden coffee table, and an unlit fireplace.<br/> <br/>He made himself comfortable and patiently waited until the man returned from the kitchen with an antique cup filled with hot green tea.<br/> <br/>As the young boy took a small sip, he flinched at the heat before deciding to settle it down onto the wooden coffee table and letting it cool.<br/> <br/>“Sorry, it’s hot,” he apologized.<br/> <br/>“No need to be sorry,” the man replied gregariously. “I should apologize for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Wang Fu, but you can call me Fu.”<br/> <br/>“Thank you for your hospitality, Mister Fu,” Adrien spoke.<br/> <br/>“You’re very formal for your someone age,” Fu pointed out simply.<br/> <br/>“Oh, uh… sorry.”<br/> <br/>Fu gave the boy a patient smile, then said, “I don’t think I got your name.”<br/> <br/>“Adrien,” he answered as he stared down at the wooden floor.<br/> <br/>“Adrien. I sense something is troubling you.”<br/> <br/>The boy immediately sat straight and shook his head vigorously. “No, no! I’m okay, really! I just…” He scanned the room, as though he would find the perfect alibi lying around the old man’s home. Finally, he finished with a truthful sigh. “I just feel kind of tired, that’s all. I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”<br/> <br/>The elder frowned. “Well, that’s not good. A young boy like you should be getting good rest, don’t you think?”<br/> <br/>Adrien smiled weakly. “Yeah, my mom used to say that all the time too... She’d pull my ear when she’d find out I slept in class.”<br/> <br/>“Your mother?” Fu repeated with curiosity.<br/> <br/>Adrien felt his stomach turn to a twist but responded regardless. “Yeah... she was wonderful.”<br/> <br/>Fu immediately caught on. “Ah. I too lost someone very special to me.”<br/> <br/>Adrien lifted his head up with interest. “Really? You understand what it’s like?”<br/> <br/>“Yes, I do. It pained me to lose someone I loved. It took a long time for me to recover. But it pains me just as much to know that you are experiencing something like this for someone so young.”<br/> <br/>He let the old man’s words sink in for a bit. He was right. He was too young to experience something like this. Adrien didn’t find this fair, at all. He was wronged. He felt angry, sad. Lonely.<br/> <br/>But then he looked at Mister Fu. The man’s eyes… They were still filled with pain, Adrien could tell. But even so, he still shared a cup of tea, and he still showed such magnificent hospitality and kindness.<br/> <br/>“How did you get over it?” Adrien asked.<br/> <br/>“I don’t think I ever did,” Fu replied sincerely. “I was very frustrated. I questioned why her life would be taken away so soon, why her of all people. She was kind. I’m sure your mother was the same.”<br/> <br/>Adrien listened with intent as he blew at his cup of tea and drank until he emptied it. Fu gently took a framed photograph from the side table.<br/> <br/>Fu continued. “But I realized something. Even if she isn’t here with me, I know that I would want to make her proud. I decided to live my best life. For her.”<br/> <br/>He passed the sepia photograph to Adrien. The youth of the photographed woman was apparent as she smiled brightly at the camera, light brown hair kept in a neat bun and green eyes dazzling.<br/> <br/>“But enough about me,” Fu cleared his throat. “I’m sure your mother would be proud of you. And I’m even surer that she would want you to live your best life.”<br/> <br/>Adrien still stared down at the photograph. Talking about this overwhelmed him. He never realized how he never came into terms with his guilt and sadness. He felt his chest tightening, hot tears beginning to sting his eyes. “I hope she is. Proud, I mean.”<br/> <br/>“Of course. Even after death, she is still your mother. Just know that whatever you go through, she will love you, unconditionally. Use her as your strength.”<br/> <br/>Without thinking, Adrien flung his arms around the older man. “Thank you, Mister Fu. I really needed to hear this.”<br/> <br/>“Anytime,” Fu hugged him in return.<br/> <br/>Adrien finally loosened his embrace as he wiped his tears from his eyes. “I should go. My friend is waiting outside.”<br/> <br/>“The one you oddly gesturing behind that tree?” Fu stated matter-of-factly.<br/> <br/>“Yup. That’s the one,” Adrien felt the tips of his ears turn hot from embarrassment as he recalled throwing finger guns at Mister Fu a few minutes ago.<br/> <br/>Fu only gave a chuckle as he reassured Adrien to be careful on his way home. “Thank you for visiting, Adrien. I needed this myself. You’re always welcome to stop by.”<br/> <br/>As the elder shut the front door, Adrien found himself on the front porch again and Nino sitting on the staircase, who shot his head up from the ground once finally reunited with his friend.<br/> <br/>“Dude, you okay?” Nino asked as he noticed Adrien’s puffed eyes and flushed cheeks.<br/> <br/>Adrien sharply inhaled the cold fresh air, nose still stuffy. “Yeah. More than okay.”<br/> <br/>“C’mon, we should head back. It’s gonna snow real bad later today.” Nino gently rested a consoling hand on Adrien’s shoulder as they exited Fu’s residence.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Marinette trudged her bicycle through the snow as she squinted to through the snowfall. If she would’ve paid attention to the newscast this morning, she wouldn’t have stayed in school longer than she should’ve to doodle another one of her fashion designs. Instead, she was caught in this dreadful situation and fought through the vicious winter wind that scraped her cheeks.<br/> <br/>As a cloudy groan escaped her lips, she stopped in front of a home she had failed to recognize before. It was a small, humble house. The man peaked out of the front door as he quickly caught Marinette's struggle.<br/> <br/>“Young lady! Are you alright?” the man, no younger than his eighties, hastily threw on the jacket over himself. “You seem to be in quite the trouble there.”<br/> <br/>Marinette plastered a smile on her face. “Ah, no, I’m okay! I just… have to keep pushing through. I’ll manage, no worries.”<br/> <br/>“How far is your home from here?”<br/> <br/>“About… four or five blocks from here,” Marinette said truthfully.<br/> <br/>“That won’t do. How about you stay over at my place until it stops snowing? I’ll invite you over for some warm cup of tea.” The man paused in realization, perhaps because this was his second time inviting yet another child into his home for a cup of tea.<br/> <br/>“My parents told me not to talk to strangers,” the girl said boldly with her chin up before adding with a slightly mischievous grin, “but my parents aren’t here. And you seem nice. And I like tea.”<br/> <br/>The elder’s gaze softened. “Very well, young girl. Come on in.”<br/> <br/>As Marinette leaned her bike by the railing of the front porch and removed her boots, she settled herself onto his living room couch that was patterned with light-colored roses.<br/> <br/>Then her curiosity spilled over. “How come I’ve never seen you around here? And do you always invite kids to your house? Also what’s your name?”<br/> <br/>Overwhelmed by the number of questions, the old man first answered her last question. “Wang Fu. Or just Fu.”<br/> <br/>He stopped by the kitchen briefly then returned with a cup of green tea, which Marinette gulped down almost instantly. Marinette glanced at Fu, who gave her raised eyebrows, probably in shock that she had just chugged an entire cup of scorching hot tea within seconds.<br/> <br/>“To answer your other question, I don’t usually come across children, but you’re my second visitor today. Do all Parisian children stop by a lonely man’s home?” He gave a soft chuckle. “I actually had another boy come stop by earlier today. He seemed about your age. Very refined young man. A good kid.”<br/> <br/>“All the boys in town stink,” Marinette blurted out as she crossed her arms. “They think they can just go around without a problem in the world.”<br/> <br/>Fu let out a breath of amusement, for this was probably a usual comment for a girl like Marinette’s age. “You seem to have other passions outside of boys then?”<br/> <br/>“Well, I can’t say that’s true exactly. There was this one boy,” Marinette began.<br/> <br/>“What happened with him?”<br/> <br/>Marinette paused, then after finally finding the right words, responded. “I guess you can say he didn’t really understand me when somethings fell apart.”<br/> <br/>Since the tree was cut down, Marinette had cut ties with Adrien. Disheartening as it may have seemed, Marinette couldn’t help how she felt about him the moment he boarded that school bus instead of supporting her; she felt betrayed. She felt like a fool to think that Adrien even thought of her for a second. Still, a part of her wished she could still reach out to him, somehow. That part of her didn’t want to give up on him just yet. <br/> <br/>She recalled his somber eyes before he boarded the bus, however. What had made him so sad that day?<br/> <br/>“What is your name, young lady?”<br/> <br/>“Marinette,” she replied.<br/> <br/>“Marinette,” Fu repeated with added sentiments. “Your name reminds me of my wife’s.”<br/> <br/>“Your wife?”<br/> <br/>“Her name was Marianne.”<br/> <br/>“Where is she now?”<br/> <br/>“She is still here watching over me, but I’m afraid you wouldn’t have a chance to meet her yourself.” Fu reached for a framed photograph that rested on the end table.<br/> <br/>Marinette leaned forward as she saw at the woman in the sepia photograph. “Wow. She looks beautiful.”<br/> <br/>“I’m sure a girl like you understands a thing or two about beauty and goodness, just like Marianne. She always saw the good in the small things. But love did not always come easy for her, and neither did it for me.”<br/> <br/>“Love…” She cited almost at a whisper, as though letting the word rest on her lips. “I’ve always thought I was in love with him, but my dad says I have to find more than the sum of his parts.”</p><p>“And what do you mean by that?”<br/> <br/>“My dad said that there has to be more that I like about him than just his eyes and his smile. But I haven’t found anything else yet.”<br/> <br/>“It seems to me that you want to get to know him beyond those parts,” Fu said.<br/> <br/>“I wish I could,” Marinette admitted, “but I don’t know how.”<br/> <br/>Fu adjusted himself in his seat as he cleared his throat. “I will tell you one thing for sure, Marinette. During your search to find who he really is, you can’t lose yourself along the way. Continue to be yourself; courageous, sharp, and passionate.”<br/> <br/>“I know,” Marinette wore an assured smile. “There’s no way I’d change who I am for someone else, unless I want to change. But I think I’m fine the way I am.”<br/> <br/>“You haven’t ever failed to impress me since you’ve stepped in my house, Marinette. You are very mature for your age.”<br/> <br/>As the light from the sunset slowly seeped through the living room, the two of them viewed the window; the skies had cleared.<br/> <br/>“I think it’s time for you to head home now. I’m sure your parents are worried.”<br/> <br/>“Can I stop by again? I promise that the next time I visit, I’ll bake something for you!”<br/> <br/>“And you bake too? You truly are wonderful,” Fu beamed.<br/> <br/>“That’s right! I just so happen to be the daughter of the greatest baker of Paris!” Marinette stood as she threw her jacket back on and slipped on her boots. “Thank you! It was nice talking to you!”<br/> <br/>As Fu waved from his front door, Marinette finally overcame the thick snow and biked her way back home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Guys, got any tips to motivate me to write?</p><p>Thanks for reading, leave a comment and kudos, much appreciated. You guys are the best!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. a little less alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marinette has new friends.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi, I promised you all that this fic is not dead! This is actually my buffer chapter that I wrote a while back, around June or July, but I haven't actually been writing for it. I just decided to post this because I was hoping that maybe my inspiration would rekindle from all your support.</p><p>Thank you so so much for all your kudos and comments, I really appreciate each and every one of you all. I hope you enjoy this chapter &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <strong>Age: 12 years old</strong>
</p><hr/><p>Summertime was the perfect for relaxation and decluttering. Since her sycamore tree had been cut down, Marinette’s parents had made a promise to clean up the rooftop balcony, which was originally used for storage. Seeing how much Marinette loved heights though, they decided to spare room for her as a way to enjoy the view of the city. She swore, when her parents announced her new ownership of the balcony, Marinette couldn’t contain her emotions, her gratitude, her excitement, and high hopes that everything would be okay, more than okay, ever since her tree was cut down.</p><p>And with all these emotions cam hard work, regardless of the sweat and hot days. She helped her parents clean up the balcony—unpacking heaps boxes, dusting off cobwebs, repainting the colorless railings, replacing the fragmented flooring.... The list of things to fix went on. Marinette loved crafting and redesigning anyway, so she actually found this quite enjoyable. Not to mention, she had already envisioned how the balcony would look in her head; it would become her new base for inspiration, particularly for any new fashion designs. She knew for sure that with such wondrous view of the city, inspiration was sure to follow. </p><p>After all, the view of the familiar city was just like the intricacy of designing. Like her city, her designs came in many parts as well. The colors, the scheming, the elaborate detailing of it all. </p><p>She arduously scraped off the old tiles of her balcony, wiping the sweat on her forehead as the sun’s heat reddened the surface of her arms and bare shoulders. Meanwhile, her parents were unboxing anything that needed to be thrown out. </p><p>Deciding to cool off, Marinette lifted the loft to her room, plopping comfortably on her bed as she took a well-deserved sip from her ice-cold water bottle. She reached for today’s newspaper that rested by her pillow, her mood uplifted from the many good news. The zoo would reopen for the summer, Andrei the ice cream maker announced new ice cream flavors, and Jagged Stone had been working on his latest album to be released later this season.</p><p>However, one advertisement in particular caught her eye:</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Chicken eggs, free giveaway!</strong> </em>
</p><p>She sat up from her bed, hardly able to contain her excitement. </p><p>“Chickens?!” Marinette’s jaw dropped. “For free?!”</p><p>She had always wanted a pet. A pet would satisfy her, for sure. But several pets bundled in one? She would be more than satisfied. </p><p>This was definitely her calling.</p><p>Marinette swung the loft to the balcony, making Tom‘s shoulders jolt up in shock and Sabine whip her head to the source of sound. The young girl waved the newspaper in the air. </p><p>“Maman! Papa! Let’s have these chicken eggs!” their daughter exclaimed as she held up the newspaper in front of them. </p><p>Sabine skimmed the newspaper ad with skepticism. “Chickens? Are you sure you’ll be able to take care of them?”</p><p>“Yeah, sure! They need to be under a lamp for incubation before they grow, right? I’ll read up on them. I’ll go to the library, check out all the books about chickens!”</p><p>Tom and Sabine exchanged looks. Marinette folded her hands together and urged them with puppy dog eyes.</p><p>Tom caved. “Oh, honey, you know I can’t say no to that face. Okay, fine.”</p><p>“Tom! Are you sure about this?” Sabine asked with obvious concern and doubt.</p><p>“Marinette can be the one taking care of the chicks when they grow,” he pointed out to his wife. “What do you think, shouldn’t we give her a chance?”</p><p>Sabine sighed. “Oh, alright, fine.”</p><p>Marinette, exhilarated, let out a high-pitched squeal, throwing her arms around her parents.  </p><p>“You won’t regret this. I won’t let you down!” the young girl promised.</p><p>A light of realization flooded through her. Marinette would have a better summer, a more exciting one, with these chicken eggs. And she would start feeling less alone. </p><hr/><p>A sharp voice shrilled through the other side of the telephone. “You’ve reached the voice mail of the one and only Chloe Bourgeois! Leave a message. But make it <em>quick</em>.”</p><p>Adrien gripped tighter to the telephone. “Uh, hi, Chloe, it’s Adrien. It’s been a while since we’ve talked. I contacted your father, and he didn’t pick up either, so…” </p><p>His words faded into nothing. What was he trying to do with calling Chloe anyway? She hadn’t reached out to him since she left him suddenly with her mother to New York. A part of him felt awful for being so selfish. He shouldn’t make his friend’s trip to America about him; he knew how much it meant to Chloe to be with her mother.</p><p>Still, she had conveniently left right before his mother passed away.</p><p>Adrien swallowed a hard lump on his throat. “Call me back… if you can. Hope I can talk to you then.”</p><p>Lunch had already been prepared for him. He sat alone in front of his meal, the white tones of the dining hall almost hurting his eyes. This wasn’t the first time he noticed just how empty this room—this entire home—had felt to him, and yet each and every time, the sense of hollowness lingered within him.</p><p>He almost jumped when he heard a familiar tone of voice.</p><p>“Adrien, this is my assistant Nathalie. From here on out, she will be taking care of you,” Gabriel spoke evenly.</p><p>As Adrien chewed his food silently, the woman named Nathalie stepped forward and courtly held her hand in him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Adrien.”</p><p>The boy shook her hand. “The pleasure is all mine.”</p><p>Gabriel cleared his throat. “Now that the two of you have introduced yourselves, I must return to my duties. Adrien, don’t forget to practice your piano after you finish your meal.”</p><p>“Yes, father,” Adrien addressed, repressing any tone of disappointment. It should be no surprise that his father wasn’t going to be eating a meal with him. </p><p>Once his father left the room, Adrien observed Nathalie curiously as she filed papers in her briefcase. </p><p>“So, have you always worked for my father?” he asked, attempting to start small talk.</p><p>Fortunately, his attempts delivered. Nathalie placed file folders and notebooks upon the pristine dining table. “Not always. I’ve worked with him for a couple months now. His brand is growing exponentially, so he was hiring more people to assist him with his work.”</p><p>Adrien bounced his leg, searching anything else to talk about. Displeasure sprouted within him; he realized that he would rather not talk about his father’s company. </p><p>And so, the only other thing that popped into his mind was something hopelessly awkward and embarrassing: “So, uh, what’s your favorite color?”</p><p>Nathalie raised a brow. “You’re quite the child for asking me such questions, Adrien,” she stated flatly, still avoiding eye contact as she organized her files.</p><p>What was he thinking? That definitely wasn’t the right question to ask. Adrien frowned as he cursed himself under his breath.</p><p>“Blue,” Nathalie answered swiftly. “But I’m also a fan of light purple.”</p><p>Adrien beamed. “Oh, really? I like blue too! It goes well with red. That one’s my favorite color.”</p><p>Nathalie raised her head from her paperwork and gave Adrien a reluctant smile, before adding coolly, “Perhaps you should finish your meal so you can begin your piano practice.”</p><p>“Right. Yeah…” The young boy took another bite of his lamb chop.</p><p>Maybe it would take some time for Nathalie to open up to him. For now, Adrien remained hopeful that perhaps things were beginning to look up in his home life. After all, this was the first time since his mother’s passing that he would have someone to keep him company at home. Maybe he finally wouldn’t feel so alone.</p><hr/><p>Marinette’s eggs would do more than keep her company; they’d keep her occupied, have her hands full, dirty even. By the end of the summer and into the beginning of their next school year, Marinette’s eggs turned to chicks, which then turned to chickens. She had exactly eight, and she loved her them wholeheartedly. They constantly kept her on her toes, but that was how she liked it. </p><p>She dotingly sprinkled chicken feed on the ground as her chickens clucked with delight, enjoying their meal.</p><p>“Eat up, little buddies,” Marinette kneeled down as she patted one of the chickens—this one was named Henry—and felt his soft smokey-white feathers under her fingertips. </p><p>She loved what she had done to the backyard. To her, it had always felt so empty, but now, it was alive now more than ever. Her chickens were the first things she would hear in the early morning—they loved to cluck and buck loudly—but it was music to her ears; their chicken calls sounded harmonious along with the late summer breeze whooshing against the trees and the rooftop panels, and the birds would chirp along with the melody as well; the evening cicadas and crickets would later follow the music. </p><p>The chickens truly did make her feel less alone. They were her friends, and as stupid as it almost sounded, she would talk to them sometimes. She felt they understood her, though. </p><p>On the other hand, it turned out that Marinette had a lot to learn about them. Because she had assumed, when she watched them grow, that they were all males, but it turned out... </p><p>She opened the chicken coop, carefully peaking underneath where Terrance, her quietest chicken of the bunch, was blissfully sitting. Marinette couldn’t believe her eyes. </p><p>“Terrance... you’re a Theresa?” She lifted the next chicken, John, who also laid an egg, later for Marinette to rename him Johanna, Robert to Roberta, Joseph to Josie... </p><p>She dashed inside, upstairs and into her room as she frantically shuffled through her closet to find a straw basket and stuffed a pillowcase inside it. Rushing back to the chicken coop, she gently lifted each chicken and rested any mature eggs into the basket. </p><p>“Holy cow, are you all hens?” Maybe she should’ve read her chicken books she checked out at the library more thoroughly. She peeked underneath Henry, her last chicken, to see if he laid any eggs. None. </p><p>Marinette rested her hands on her hip, her lips curling to a small smile. “Well, Henry, how does it feel like to be the only rooster in the coop?”</p><p>Henry clucked. </p><p>“Yeah? That’s valid,” Marinette nodded in agreement. Then a brilliant idea struck her, her smile cracking into a wide grin. </p><p>From there, she would inform her parents of her idea: she would sell these eggs around town. Her parents agreed, as this was a good opportunity to advertise their bakery. Collecting more and more eggs would only come as a benefit to the Dupain-Chang family, as they kept the extra eggs and used them for baking their pastries.</p><p>With enthusiasm, Marinette would hop from one household to the next, handing batches of eggs in the exchange of cash. </p><p>Finally, Marinette arrived at a home that had been for sale a couple months back, but now the front lawn was decorated with a flower bed and small garden statues. In their front yard was a tall tree—granted, it definitely wasn’t as tall as Marinette’s old sycamore tree—and a handmade swing attached to its sturdy branch. </p><p>Marinette knocked on the front door, and almost instantly, two children, a set of twins, opened the door. They were probably no older than five years old. </p><p>“Oooh! I like your pigtails!” One of them pointed at Marinette. </p><p>“Aw, thank you!” Marinette replied bashfully, only briefly playing with her hair. “Is anyone else home?”</p><p>The other twin shook her head, lifting her chin up. “Just us! What’s in that basket?”</p><p>These kids were awfully young to be by themselves. Before Marinette could react, she heard jogging footsteps rushing to the front door.</p><p>“Hey, what did I tell you two about opening the door to strangers?” The girl knelt down, scolding at the two as she lifted each of them up over shoulder. </p><p>“She’s not a stranger!” one of the twins said. </p><p>The other added, “We’ve officially dubbed her as Pigtails!”</p><p>Marinette narrowed her eyes but then quickly shifted to a soft gaze. “I’ll have you know that I don’t always wear pigtails, little guys.” </p><p>She met eyes with the girl about her age, most likely the twins’ older sister. Glasses, dark-skinned, and wavy brunette hair... She looked around the same age as her. </p><p>“Wait a sec, don’t I know you?” the brunette asked. “You’re in my science class!”</p><p>Marinette thought for a second. Did she know this girl? She silently cursed her short attention span, but slowly forgave herself after realizing that they were only a couple days into the first day of school. This time around, Marinette let her own absent-mindedness slide. </p><p>“Sorry, what’s your name?” Marinette‘s time came out as a mumble, guilt rising in her stomach. </p><p>The girl released the two children as they scattered around the living room. “Oh, no need to be sorry, girl. I’m Alya.”</p><p>“That’s right! You’re the new girl, right?” </p><p>“Yup, that’s me!”</p><p>“I’m Marinette,” she introduced, holding out her hand, Alya accepting the handshake. </p><p>“So, Marinette, what brings you here?” Alya asked. </p><p>“Right!” she held out her eggs in front of her. “I’m selling chicken eggs. These are the freshest batch. My chickens just laid them this morning.”</p><p>“Woah,” Alya leaned closer to get a better look at the eggs, then eyed Marinette with curiosity. “You have chickens? That’s awesome! How do you even take care of them?”</p><p>“Oh, thanks! It’s really nothing, really,” Marinette said humbly. “I just feed them mostly, but my parents help take care of them too.”</p><p>“Still impressive though. Anyways, my mom is actually a cook. She’d love these eggs!” Alya turned her head, scanning her living room to quickly search for her mother, before turning back to Marinette. “Actually, my mom isn’t home right now, but I can ask her if she wants these eggs when she gets back. Then tomorrow after class, I’ll let you know. How’s that sound?”</p><p>“Sounds great!” Marinette agreed with enthusiasm. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school then!”</p><p>Once she left their residence and waved goodbye, Marinette exhaled, as though she had been holding her breath throughout their conversation. She never really made any friends with anyone in her class. A sense of hope washed over her, and the possibility of having a new friend brought her spirits up.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. snooping around (part one)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marinette snoops.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Finally, some fkn food. (Food = Adrienette)</p><p>This chapter was <em>super</em> self-indulgent oops.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To Marinette’s disappointment, dropping off eggs at Adrien’s would come as a challenge. Come to think of it, she had never actually visited Adrien’s place. She knew he was well-off, at least compared to most people, but for some reason, it occurred to her that not only was Adrien an Agreste; Adrien was an <em>AGRESTE</em>. </p><p>Marinette’s heart raced. She was stepping into the household of Gabriel Agreste, the fashion guru who’s brand had been expanding tremendously within just a couple years. Of course, she was aware of his successes; as an aspiring fashion designer, this was only natural, so it was also very natural of her to mentally facepalm when she had not connected the dots sooner.</p><p>Adrien Agreste was the son of the executive director and fashion designer of a vastly growing fashion company. </p><p>Would this stop her from giving her the eggs, though? Absolutely not. In fact, she decided better yet; she would give these eggs to Adrien for free. </p><p>It was the perfect plan. Marinette hadn’t exactly given up on getting closer to him. This was the perfect chance to get to know him better. </p><p>To get to know him beyond the sum of his parts. </p><p>If giving him these eggs were all that it took, then so be it. </p><p>Marinette stood at the front gate of Adrien’s house. Well, it was less of a house and more of a... mansion.</p><p>She gulped. <em>Do this for Adrien, do this for Adrien, do this for…  </em></p><p>Neglecting how sweaty her palms were, she rang the doorbell. </p><p>The speaker on the side of the gates let out a muffled voice of a monotoned female. “Agreste residence. Who is this?” She spoke, strict demeanor intact, but failing to intimidate Marinette. </p><p>“Woah...” Marinette tilted her head, viewing the speakerphone from different angles. She’d never seen anything like it. The Gabriel brand must really be booming if they could afford something as technologically advanced as this. </p><p>“Who is this?” the woman repeated with heavier demand and annoyance. “Did you only come here to waste time?”</p><p>“Oh!” Marinette peered down at her basket of eggs. “I came here to visit Adrien.”</p><p>“Why.”</p><p>“Uh...” What could Marinette say that would convince this woman to let her in? Just by the impression of her voice, Marinette could tell that this woman was quite persistent. Only the most valid reason would be the ultimate seller to convince her. She tapped her chin in thought, then an excuse occurred to her. “Adrien and I have a class together. We’re learning about chicken eggs.”</p><p>“Adrien isn’t taking any classes like that of any sorts,” the woman retorted. “Goodby—“</p><p>“No, that’s not what I wanted to say!” Marinette retracted with a panic, attempting a different approach. “See, I have these eggs I’m handing out from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, and—“</p><p>“We decline your offer. Goodbye.”</p><p>“Wait, you didn’t even—“</p><p>The speaker beeped, then silence.</p><p>“... Let me finish.” Marinette sulked. </p><p>There had to be another way to give Adrien these eggs. </p><p>She could give it to him during class, but if she gave Adrien these eggs for free while the rest of the class didn’t, she’d only feel guilty for being unfair. The only time and place for Adrien to get these eggs was right here, right now. </p><p>But how would she do that? She scrunched her nose as she scanned her surroundings. Then her eyes rested on a stranger, a potential friend. </p><p>A tree. </p><p>Perfect. </p><p>Marinette slung the basket of eggs over her shoulder as she climbed the tree. Sticking out her tongue, she platformed her left foot onto the trunk of the tree, pushing herself up to reach the next branch. From there, she climbed up with ease until she was finally reached the perfect height.</p><p>A breath of relief escaped her lips, barely able to contain her nervousness and excitement. Meters away from her was a window that displayed a bedroom with a large fencing poster, a piano, rock climbing walls… She skimmed her room, wide eyed and grinning from ear to ear. This had to be Adrien’s room. It was <em>ginormous</em>! She had been in stadiums smaller than his room! </p><p>The sheer fact that she was basked in the presence of Adrien’s room sent butterflies in her stomach, making it twist and turn, making her heart swell and pound with joy. She welcomed this feeling. </p><p>But then she quickly shook her head vigorously. No, right now was time to focus. Thoughts of reluctance flooded her mind, however. Marinette was no stranger to rule breaking, but wasn’t she kind of testing the lines of trespassing?</p><p><em>This is probably a bad idea</em>, she thought. But since when were any of her ideas <em>good</em>? She wasn’t quite sure if they’d be deemed <em>good</em>, but they definitely worked. </p><p>Again, she scanned Adrien’s room. He wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Marinette leaned left, then right, straightening her back to get a better view through the windows. Still, he was no where in sight.</p><p>Perhaps he wasn’t home. Marinette sighed. Maybe it was a better idea for her to come back another time.</p><p class="p1">Besides, this was stupid. There had to be another way to get these eggs to him, right? A thought crossed her mind that peeping through the windows of Adrien’s home was probably <em>weird</em>.</p><p>What would he ever think of her?</p><p>She was soon to find out.</p><p>Because as soon as Marinette readjusted her focus from her thoughts to the windows of Adrien’s room, she was eye to eye with him.</p><p>And he had nothing on but a towel.</p><p>Marinette screamed. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Adrien screamed. </p><p>Without a second thought, he immediately dashed back into his bathroom, red in the face, feeling a sting in his eyes. </p><p>This was so embarrassing. Marinette Dupain-Cheng practically saw him bare. Adrien grew red in the face. </p><p>Quickly, he threw on his dirty shirt and his pair of pants, drying his hair with his towel, hands still shaking.</p><p>Finally, he blew out a long breath, turned the doorknob, and exited the bathroom as he approached the window, face to face with Marinette.</p><p class="p1">She hid her glowing red face with her hands, slowly peaking through between her fingers to see if it was safe to look.</p><p>He cracked open the window. “Uh, h..hi?” Adrien’s voice cracked ever-so-slightly, and he wanted to scream internally in the hopes that Marinette didn’t hear just how nervous he was.</p><p>Marinette, cheeks still flushed red, held up a basket of… eggs?  </p><p>Adrien tilted his head to the side with curiosity. “I can meet you outside?”</p><p>Perking up, Marinette gave him a nod as she immediately started climbing down the tree.</p><p>Adrien observed her climbing down the tree. She was.. fast. Where did she learn to climb so high? </p><p>He shook his head, shifting his focus to sneaking out of his home and trying to avoid Nathalie and his father’s office.</p><p>He softly opened the gates as he let in a fresh inhale, looking up at how the clouds shrouded the sun just right and how the trees rustled with the wind.</p><p>And with the wondrous view of nature, Marinette stood tall in front of him.</p><p>“Hi,” he said lamely.</p><p>Marinette managed a short “hi” in return before spewing out, “I just really like trees.”</p><p>“Um, okay?” Adrien shuffled awkwardly.</p><p>“Uh, no! What I mean is that… I <em>really</em> like climbing trees! You know me! Trees.” She laughed forcefully and added, “It just so happened that the tree was in front of your room! Yeah, I’ve been climbing <em>lots</em> of trees lately.”</p><p>Adrien exchanged a nervous laugh. He was speechless. He had an idea of what she came here for; his eyes fell on the basket of eggs she held in front of her. And yet, he was <em>speechless</em>.</p><p><em>Adrien Agreste, just ask her what the heck she’s doing with those eggs, I </em>beg<em> you. Please stop standing here awkwardly like an idiot— </em></p><p>“So, it’s been a while since we’ve last spoken.” Marinette finally broke the silence.</p><p>Adrien blinked. “Yeah. It has.”</p><p>Realizing this, he analyzed Marinette’s bangs and the tips of her hair… It had grown since the last time he saw her. Her skin was browner too, as if she’s been out in the sun more often.</p><p>“I’m sorry about your mother. It must have been hard.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah… Thank you,” was the only thing Adrien managed to say. But the last thing he wanted was for this conversation to start being about him. Luckily, Marinette caught onto that.</p><p>She cleared her throat. “Anyways, I also wanted to give you this,” she held out the basket of chicken eggs. “They’re a gift. For you.”</p><p>“A gift!” His voice cracked a bit, his ears beginning to burn. He tried his hardest to restrain from smiling, but he couldn’t help it. How thoughtful it was to receive a gift from someone. “Wow, uh… thanks…!”</p><p>Marinette says. “Do you like it?”</p><p>But this gift was from Marinette.</p><p>And what on earth was he supposed to do with chicken eggs? </p><p>Was his father going to be okay with him accepting this? What if Nathalie found it in his room? What would happen? What if they ask him where he got it from? They'd never let him have this. He had to refuse.</p><p>“I, uh.. Yeah, I do! I like it!”</p><p>Marinette wasn’t buying it. She frowned, a sad look in her eyes. “Are you sure? I have the feeling that you don’t…”</p><p>Adrien gulped. He should be honest. Receiving gifts was always nice but <em>chicken eggs</em>…</p><p>“Wha… no! I love it, really! I love it so much that, <em>gahhh</em>, I want <em>more</em> of it!” Adrien plastered a hard grin. </p><p>Marinette lit up. “Really? I would love to give you more! Gosh, I’m so glad! I have <em>so</em> many eggs to give!” </p><p>She enthusiastically shoved the basket of eggs onto Adrien’s chest. </p><p>Adrien blinked, noticing just how much Marinette had remained the same during all this time. </p><p>“I’ll see you tomorrow then? So I can give you more!”</p><p>“Y-yeah..! Perfect!” Adrien waved stiffly, basket in hand.</p><p>As Marinette left and finally vanished out of of sight, Adrien found it the right time to crouch down on the grass and just <em>sit</em> there, lost in thought.</p><p>He would see Marinette more often after this.</p><p>This was bad.</p><p>But not as bad as the questionable ache he felt in his chest.</p><p>The feeling… It ached, yet it also felt… light.</p><p>Adrien plopped on the grass face-first in a heaping, blushing mess.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Gee Adrien, why are you behaving like this? It’s not like you’re in love with Marinette or anything smh :/</p><p>Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more Adrienette &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. interlude: phone a friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nino gets a panicked phone call from a (probably) very confused Adrien.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Nino's POV. This is a really short chapter, eggs and any other chicken-related shenanigans will continue in the next chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">“Nino, it’s a phone call from Adrien!”</p><p class="p1">Nino switched off his radio as he trotted down the stairs, taking the phone from his mother’s hand.</p><p class="p1">“Hey, dude, what’s u—Hey, you alright?” Nino’s brows scrunched with worry as he heard Adrien’s heavy breathing on the other side of the line. “Sounds like you’ve been running a mile or something.”</p><p class="p1">“No, it’s...” Adrien gulped as he tried to catch his breath. “It’s Marinette. She... she came over to my place today.”</p><p class="p1">Marinette, huh?</p><p class="p1">“Okay, what about?”</p><p class="p1">Adrien sighed. “It’s been years since we’ve been like... <em>this</em>. I can’t explain it, but like...” Silence soon flooded between them.</p><p class="p1">His friend was confused, to say the least. Nino could tell. He always felt that there was at least <em>something</em> going on between him and Marinette. That girl obviously wanted Adrien’s attention. But Adrien, he didn’t know how to handle it. Reason being—</p><p class="p1">“She terrifies me,” Adrien finished.</p><p class="p1">Nino raised an eyebrow. “Terrifies you?”</p><p class="p1">Adrien hummed, as if trying to reason with his statement. “Yeah. That’s probably what it is.”</p><p class="p1">“Why did Marinette come to see you anyway?”</p><p class="p1">“You’re not going to believe this,” Adrien sighed. “She got me <em>eggs</em>.”</p><p class="p1">“Eggs?”</p><p class="p1">“Eggs.”</p><p class="p1">“Well, you haven’t been the only one, actually. She’s been handing them to everyone around town.”</p><p class="p1">More silence drew on the other side of the line, until Adrien released a breath of relief. “Oh, okay. Then her giving me the eggs meant nothing then, even though she climbed all the way up a tree and saw me shirtless.”</p><p class="p1">Nino’s eyes widened. “Wait, what was that last part—?”</p><p class="p1">“Talk to you later! My father just left his office—“</p><p class="p1">And with that, the call line dropped.</p><p class="p1">Nino slumped on his coach in thought.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>Climbed up a tree and saw him shirtless?</em>
</p><p class="p1">He was convinced that he heard wrong. Either that, or something really odd was going on between Adrien and Marinette.</p><p class="p1">To be quite honest, he was kind of humored. And very curious with how this would all unfold.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Nino's onto you, Adrien.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. snooping around (part two)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adrien snoops.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Adrien had to get used to this.</p><p class="p1">He couldn’t act this way in front of Marinette. He questioned why one encounter with her would ever make him react in such a way.</p><p class="p1">Neglecting the fact that he couldn’t even explain it, he shook his head. Whatever the feeling was, he didn’t like it, and so he wouldn’t feel it.</p><p class="p1">Every morning, Marinette would come see him. She would climb up the tree, throw a small stone at his bedroom window. And Adrien wished she didn’t; if his father noticed a scratch on the glass, he was sure to get interrogated.</p><p class="p1">And so, it became a habit for him to wait for her outside the gates of the Agreste mansion, as long as his father and Nathalie didn’t catch him.</p><p class="p1">And every morning, he would force a grin, neglecting the fact that he probably looked like an idiot, trying to suppress how nervous he felt in front of her.</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Marinette could get used to this.</p><p class="p1">She would enjoy every morning. Bike to Adrien’s place and give him the eggs, seeing his bright smile. Impressing her with his wonderful grin, his eyes, and everything about the way he looked every morning.</p><p class="p1">He’d give her a smile.</p><p class="p1">That was enough to make every morning worth it.</p><p class="p1">And it would get better. Because he would anticipate her coming. He would wait for her, lean against the gates as he mindlessly looked down on his fingernails, and when he looked up, again, he would smile.</p><p class="p1">So refreshing.</p><p class="p1">So worth it.</p><p class="p1">“Thank you,” Adrien spoke. Marinette noticed his cheeks beginning to flush a burning red, ears glowing and voice so soft it was almost a whisper.</p><p class="p1">She saw he was nervous. But she shouldn’t dare try and assume anything beyond what she saw in front of her.</p><p class="p1">Hoping for Adrien’s nervousness to be anything more was honestly foolish.</p><p class="p1">And a fool Marinette was. </p><p class="p1">She returned a goofy grin. “You’re welcome!”</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Adrien.” Nathalie widened her eyes as he witnessed him holding a box full of eggs. This was probably his fourth one now.</p><p class="p1">It was getting out of control. He didn’t know what to do with these eggs. It wasn’t like his father would allow him to cook it, and if he were to ever find out that he had been accepting these eggs...</p><p class="p1">Frantically, Adrien hid the batch of eggs behind his back. “Nathalie! Hey!”</p><p class="p1">She removed her glasses, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I heard that girl has been giving away eggs all around town. I thought I told her to leave us alone. She’s quite persistent.”</p><p class="p1">Adrien released a huff. “Yeah, that’s Marinette for you—“</p><p class="p1">“How much of those has she given you now?” Nathalie asked.</p><p class="p1">“Uh...” Adrien stumbled, looking down at the eggs. “This is my second one...”</p><p class="p1">Obviously seeing through his lie, Nathalie took out a whole bag of eggs from behind her. “These were in your room. Why are you keeping them in there?”</p><p class="p1">Adrien, desperate to search for words, finally found an excuse for Nathalie to buy. “I want to cook those.”</p><p class="p1">Nathalie rose an eyebrow, as Adrien gave her a pleading look. She sighed.</p><p class="p1">“Your father will say no, but it’s worth a shot telling him,” she caved. “Come with me to his office. You must speak with him as well.”</p><p class="p1">Adrien gave her a nervous nod, heart racing as he climbed up the steps and approached his father’s office.</p><p class="p1">He didn’t actually want to cook these. Was he even a fan of eggs?</p><p class="p1">The answer was no.</p><p class="p1">But for whatever reason, he didn’t want to decline Marinette’s eggs.</p><p class="p1">On the other hand, his father would make this more complicated.</p><p class="p1">Glasses glinting, the sunlight seeping through the blinds and down to his desk filled with paper work, Gabriel spoke firmly. “I’ve heard about this Marinette and her eggs. I won’t allow any of them in my home. They’re probably fertile.”</p><p class="p1">Adrien tilted his head to the side. Fertile, as if...</p><p class="p1">No way. If it cracked open, would a dead baby chick fall right out of it? Just the thought made the skin on his back crawl.</p><p class="p1">“Well, father, that’s only if she had roosters, right?” Adrien explained. “She probably doesn’t have any roosters, I don’t think...”</p><p class="p1">“Then why don’t you go ask her if she has roosters?” Gabriel met eyes with Adrien, his cold stare making Adrien’s teeth grit.</p><p class="p1">“Yes, father, I can do that.”</p><p class="p1">Unfortunately for Gabriel, Adrien was much more afraid of Marinette than he was with his own distant father.</p><p class="p1">Once he arrived back downstairs, he grabbed the telephone in the dining room.</p><p class="p1">“Nino? I need your help.”</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Marinette skipped along the pavement, sun beating down on another wonderful morning. Just a couple knocks on Alya’s door was enough for her friend to answer promptly.</p><p class="p1">“Hey, Marinette!” Alya beamed, accepting her basket of eggs. “Thanks so much for these. Mom is cooking them like mad, and the twins love them so much!”</p><p class="p1">“I’m glad you like them!” Marinette chirped.</p><p class="p1">“Oh, um,” Alya swayed slightly. “I don’t have money for you today.”</p><p class="p1">“That’s okay!” replied Marinette. “This one is on me. I’m sure my parents will understand-“</p><p class="p1">Alya held out her hand, a sly grin surfacing her face. “You didn’t let me finish. It’s because I have something else for you.”</p><p class="p1">She stepped aside into her living room and picked up a cloth bag.</p><p class="p1">“Be careful.” She held it in front of Marinette. “It’s a bit heavy and kind of fragile.”</p><p class="p1">Marinette‘s eyes gleamed with shining curiosity as she accepted the bag and looked inside.</p><p class="p1">“Oh, Alya, you...you shouldn’t have.” Her eyes welled as she peaked inside and witnessed the pastel pink sewing machine.</p><p class="p1">“Don’t sweat it, girl! I heard from a couple classmates that you like to sew, and my mom really thought we’d owe you a favor-“</p><p class="p1">Marinette leaped to give her friend a fight embrace, careful not to let the cloth bag slip from her hand.</p><p class="p1">“You don’t know how much this means to me. Thank you so, so much.”</p><p class="p1">Alya returned the embrace.</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The sunlight beat through the trees as Adrien intently listened to Nino. He trusted Nino’s expertise on chickens. This was way better than asking Marinette, that’s for sure.</p><p class="p1">“See, a rooster is bigger,” Nino explained. “They’ve got longer feathers...”</p><p class="p1">“Uh-huh,” Adrien nodded, mentally taking note. “What else?”</p><p class="p1">“Right, and they have the rubbery red stuff on top of their heads. And below their chin,” he continued.</p><p class="p1">The anxiety that had built in Adrien’s stomach slowly vanished. “Alright, so this shouldn’t be too hard to tell if she has roosters or not, right?”</p><p class="p1">“Aw, hold on, I think all chickens have the rubbery red stuff on them. Hmm...” After a moment of thought, Nino shrugged, and Adrien mirrored it.</p><p class="p1">They arrived at the backyard of the Dupain-Chengs. Adrien didn’t even know that she had a backyard. He was quite familiar with their bakery, and how her family had lived in the rooms right above from it, but he guessed that this whole area was Dupain-Cheng property.</p><p class="p1">The two boys peeked from the holes and cracks of the wooden picket fence, eyes landing on the chicken coop.</p><p class="p1">Adrien squinted. “Nino, they all have rubbery red things.”</p><p class="p1">“Dude, didn’t I tell you that all chickens had that?”</p><p class="p1">“Wha- no, you said only roosters have that!” Adrien retorted back with a whisper.</p><p class="p1">“Hold on, let’s get them out of the coop. We might be able to tell better,” Nino pointed out. Grabbing a pebble from the dirt, he hurled it above the fence, hitting the coop. The chickens scattered out and about the backyard.</p><p class="p1">Adrien smiled, impressed, “Nice aim!” The two exchanged fist bumps.</p><p class="p1">They scanned the chickens and after examination, Nino finally said, “No roosters. None of them are strutting.”</p><p class="p1">This was new information. Of all the books Adrien had read, he really wished he’d read about chickens. “Roosters strut?”</p><p class="p1">Nino brought his finger to his lips, pointing back at the chickens.</p><p class="p1">Marinette.</p><p class="p1">Adrien’s heart skipped a beat. He observed her dusting the ground with chicken feed, her braids falling down her neck and barely reaching her shoulders. </p><p class="p1">She picked up a chicken, pecking it with a kiss on its head. The chicken replied with a joyful soft cluck, and Marinette returned the a giggle.</p><p class="p1">Her bare teeth visible, pearls.</p><p class="p1">Her laughter.</p><p class="p1">Adrien grew red as he continued to peak through the hole.</p><p class="p1">The surrounding noises began to muffle around him. Lesser and lesser, the wind chimes softened, the chickens quieted, and the only thing Adrien could play and replay in his head was her laughter.</p><p class="p1">Her laughter.</p><p class="p1">It was...</p><p class="p1"><em>She</em> was...</p><p class="p1">“Adrien!”</p><p class="p1">Nino hissed behind the bush, Adrien whipping his head towards the voice of dissatisfaction before turning back to the hole.</p><p class="p1">His eyes met bright blue ones. And dusted freckles of a nose.</p><p class="p1">“Hey!” A shrill voice ripped through the other side of the fence, redirecting Adrien’s focus as he darted away from Marinette’s backyard.</p><p class="p1">He ran across the street, lucky enough to that the roads were less busy. His mind was running faster than his legs were.</p><p class="p1">Adrien wanted to collapse on the grass all over again. His cheeks flushed, embarrassment unbearable.</p><p class="p1">Nino soon caught up as they both finally reached the park.</p><p class="p1">“Adrien, what...” Nino gulped, trying to catch his breath as he cupped his hands on his knees. “Dude, what on <span class="s1"><em>earth</em> was that?”</span></p><p class="p1">“What... what?”</p><p class="p1">His friend released one final huff, patting Adrien on the shoulder. “Nothing, dude, it’s fine. We got what we wanted, right?”</p><p class="p1">Adrien sighed. “Y-Yeah, we did. Thanks, Nino, for everything.”</p><p class="p1">Nino exchanged a smile. “No problem, dude.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey! This is the second to last chapter of the whole "Marinette giving Adrien eggs" arc. I went crazy writing past midnight, so I have a couple buffer chapters. Yay! :D</p><p>If you haven't noticed already, I will update this fic at the end of every month, and each chapter is about +1k chapters long. I will let you know if a hiatus does occur (since I didn't let you know last time). </p><p>Thank you for your comments and kudos! I really appreciate them, and they're what help me continue this fic &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. crack!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marinette grows more ambitious. Adrien grows more nervous.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm very late, but you all have been so patient and supportive. Thanks for waiting &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marinette wasn’t seeing things, was she? She peered through the cracks of her backyard fence.</p><p>She swore she saw those familiar green eyes.</p><p>But shrugged it off.</p><p>She heard her hens cluck and cradled Roberta in her arms. A thought came across Marinette’s mind.</p><p>“Roberta, how would you like it if I gave you and the rest of your sisters t-shirts?” Marinette asked with a grin of anticipation.</p><p>Roberta clucked with joy.</p><p>“I know! The Cesaires lent me a gift, and I have to use it!” Marinette excitedly. “You’re all going to be my first models. <em>Someone’s</em> gotta try out my clothings I’ll make, right?”</p><p>Marinette’s time had been occupied because of the chickens, while her brain had been occupied with fashion ideas.</p><p>Running up to the bakery, Marinette ran to her father.</p><p>“Dad!”</p><p>“Hey, honey!” Her father greeted her as she gave him a peck on the cheek. “How are your chickens?”</p><p>“Good! Listen, dad, you know how I’ve been drawing designs on my notebooks since I was, like, eight?”</p><p>She felt so much more inspired when she was under the sycamore tree, but to be quite honestly, being a fashion designer had always been her dream, even before her sycamore tree.</p><p>Her father nodded. He would only know what’s coming next.</p><p>“It’s high time to bring them into life! Alya’s family got me a sewing machine!” Marinette spewed energetically. “I’ll be a great fashion designer, dad! My chickens can try out some clothes, and I can make chicken clothes, and so much more clothes!”</p><p>She rambled on, from chicken suits, to durby hats, to dresses for boys and suits for girls.</p><p>And her father grinned from ear to ear. “You’re dreaming big, honey. I’m so proud of you!”</p><p>Marinette couldn’t wait. She could have so much fun with this. And her designs would be unique, they would be different and progressive, and she knew that somehow, she could stand out. </p><p>She was never too ambitious.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“They’re all chickens,” Adrien spoke, shutting the front door.</p><p>Nathalie gave a deadpan look, then began writing something in her clipboard. “I’ll take note that you need biology tutoring, specifically lessons centered around chickens.”</p><p>Adrien tilted his head to the side.</p><p>“Adrien. All of them are chickens. You need to find out if there were any roosters, or if all of them were hens,” Nathalie explained.</p><p>He internally screamed, swearing to himself that this time around, he’d really need to check out a book or two about chickens before Nathalie doubted his intelligence.</p><p>“Oh! Nope, all hens. Roosters strut, and none of them did that,” Adrien nodded with artificial confidence. This was his best to convince Nathalie that he was not, in fact, an idiot.</p><p>“You told Marinette?” There was still some doubt in her tone.</p><p>“Yes,” Adrien lied.</p><p>Nathalie sighed. “I’m sorry, Adrien, but I don’t think you father wants you to keep those eggs. Regardless of that fact.”</p><p>Adrien slouched. Then what was the point of going through all that trouble of snooping around Marinette’s place? He wanted to curl up in a ball; he really didn’t want to live with he fact that he could have spared himself the trouble from encountering her.</p><p>“No more eggs. You tell that girl you don’t want them the next time she comes around.”</p><p>He gulped. “O-of course, Nathalie.”</p><p>“And whatever left-over eggs you have stashed away in your room, throw them away at once. I don’t want to hear anything from your father,” Nathalie instructed, then under her breath, “I don’t want to hear another word out of that man’s mouth that isn’t about my paid time off.”</p><p>He gave her a simple nod, sprinting up to his room and opening his closet, stacked with baskets of eggs.</p><p>Letting out a sigh, Adrien came into terms with the fact that Nathalie was right.</p><p>He would have to tell her to stop giving him these eggs.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Marinette was ambitious, alright. And she would never stop giving Adrien these eggs.</p><p>If it meant that she would see him every morning, then so be it.</p><p>Yet again, Adrien waited outside the gates. But this time around, he seemed different. He looked like he was shaking.</p><p>“A-Adrien. Are you alright?”</p><p>His face tinted a soft shade of pink, like the late-afternoon skies when the sun dipped for the day. “Yes! I’m perfectly okay. Listen, Marinette, I... umm...”</p><p>Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed, her heart hammering against her ribcage. “Yes?”</p><p>Adrien’s face only tinted a harsher shade of red, making Marinette’s thoughts run wild.</p><p>Why was he so nervous to speak?</p><p>He squeezed his eyes shut before letting out a nervous laugh. “I just want to say thank you! You don’t know how much I appreciate these eggs. It just... it means a lot to see you every morning.”</p><p>“R-really?” The color on Marinette’s face matched his.</p><p>“Yeah!” A shaking hand rested behind the nape of his neck “I... I’m not really a morning person. But you make my mornings better with with your visits. Thank you.”</p><p>Her eyes glowed, plastered on his. “Wow... you’re amazing- I mean! <em>It’s</em> amazing! I feel the same way.”</p><p>Adrien blinked, only to give her the softest smile that could just send her away up into the skies and into heaven’s grace.</p><p>“I’ll see you later, Marinette,” he waved, basket of eggs in hand.</p><p>“See you later,” she muttered, so softly that she wasn’t sure if he heard. She watched as he shut the double doors behind him.</p><p>This wasn’t possible.</p><p>Adrien Agreste told her that he enjoyed seeing her, enjoyed her visits. And gave her the most wonderful smile.</p><p>She could just cry.</p><p>Her mind spun, the question whizzing around her head: Why was he so nervous to say such a thing?</p><p>Meaningful words were always the hardest to say. How much did those words mean to him?</p><p>They must have meant a lot if he was so anxious, right?</p><p>That blush on his face... The way his hands shook. It must have meant <em>something</em>.</p><p>From the gates, Marinette’s head turned to the sound of the mansion door shutting. Adrien stepped out of the house.</p><p>Marinette observed the large paper bag he hugged against his chest. She called in surprise, “Adrien!“</p><p>Adrien yelped. Yet again, the red spread across his face. “M-Marinette! I didn’t know you were still here! I was just taking out the trash and-“</p><p>As he walked to the side of his home, he didn’t move his eyes away from her.</p><p>That was his mistake. His foot caught on a crack of the pavement, gravity overtaking him as he landed onto his yard. The bag slipped from his grip, thudding onto the ground.</p><p>“Adrien!” Marinette gasped.</p><p>“I’m okay!” Adrien called, brushing his pants and the sleeves of his shirt as he stood up.</p><p>Marinette giggled light-heartedly.</p><p>Until her eyes hovered down at the mess in front of him. Egg yolks and cracked egg shells scattered across the grass.</p><p>“Wait, did you say you were taking out the trash?” Marinette’s eyes hovered down onto the mess of eggs and back at him. “My eggs... Were you about to throw them out?”</p><p>Adrien’s eyes widened. “I- wait. No! Did I say trash? I didn’t mean that! I-“</p><p>“Adrien. Have you... Have you always been throwing them out...?” A hard lump formed in her throat.</p><p>He rushed to the gates. “Marinette, <em>no</em>. Let me explain. My father didn’t want me to have them. I-“</p><p>“So you just <em>throw</em> them out? How long have you been doing that?” Betrayal clouded her eyes. “You could have just told me that you didn’t want them. I would have been fine with that.”</p><p>“Marinette-“</p><p>“Those weren’t free, you know.” Her nostrils burned, her eyes starting to swell. “Everyone else in town has been paying for them.”</p><p>Panic settled in Adrien’s eyes. “I-I didn’t know. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, Marinette! I was scared that I would hurt you.”</p><p>She shook her head. “That’s not what you were afraid of at all.” Marinette pursed her lips. “I can’t believe you would <em>lie</em> to me.”</p><p>“No, that’s not it! I was just...” Words faded as he was searching for the right words to say.</p><p>That was enough for her to rip her gaze away from him. She couldn’t bear to look straight into his eyes any longer.</p><p>With a huff, Marinette left the Agreste estate.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Adrien shut his bedroom door behind him, plopping onto his bed and hiding his burning face into his pillow.</p><p>Why was it so hard for him to even <em>speak</em> to her? His hesitance and anxiety were getting out of hand.</p><p>He could have explained himself perfectly. She didn’t have to storm out of here, bitter and probably hating his guts now. But, no. Instead, he did the opposite. He made things worse.</p><p>What on earth was <em>wrong</em> with him?</p><p>No, he knew exactly what was wrong.</p><p>
  <em>That’s not what you were afraid of at all.</em>
</p><p>Marinette was right. That wasn’t it. He wasn’t afraid of hurting her.</p><p>He was afraid of being <em>with</em> her.</p><p>Adrien already knew that. He’s had this conversation played out in his head many times before. The reason why he was so scared of her was because she was terrifying.</p><p>But what about her made her so terrifying?</p><p>And then this only looped back to the same question again, the question that was burnt into his mind and made him want to rip his hair out.</p><p>Why was he so scared of Marinette Dupain-Cheng?</p>
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